Cell Phones

Asus Zenfone Max Plus (M1) Pros & Cons Review

- Analysis by KJ David

Showcased by Asus during CES 2018, the 5.7-inch Asus Zenfone Max Plus M1 is geared towards phablet buyers looking for a high-stamina wide-screen Android phone. To our slight disappointment, however, it does not maximize anything in terms of display, seeing that its 5.7-inch facade, which has a wide 18:9 aspect ratio , comes with a 2160 x 1080 FHD+ (or 1440 x 720, depending on the model) resolution only. In comparison, a few higher-specked phablets boast QHD definitions that equate to 2650 x 1440 pixels. We are also unimpressed with its MediaTek MT6750T eight-core processor, which clocks in at a modest 1.5GHz , while a lot of its eight-core contemporaries use octa-core engines that clock in at 2GHz or higher.

As for its pros, the Zenfone Max Plus (M1) lugs a 4130mAh battery , which, despite not reaching the original Zenfone Max's mammoth 5000mAh capacity , is equipped with Asus's PowerMaster technology -- an ensemble of 12 safety technologies, such as protection from high temperatures and preventing short circuits. Moreover, its promising self-attributed battery scores , which include a 1560-minute 3G talk time and a 1260-minute Wi-Fi browsing time, accentuate its focus towards endurance.

Also among its pros and cons is a rear-facing dual camera consisting of a 16-megapixel primary lens and a wide-angle (120 degrees, to be exact) 8-megapixel subsidy cam that lets users fit more people and scenery into their photos. Up front, it rocks a 16-megapixel selfie cam that just about hits the high-end bulls-eye as of this technical review. Note, though, that Asus also ships a variant equipped with an 8-megapixel-only selfie cam that would have been an outright con in our book. Both its front and back cameras are injected with the brand's signature PixelMaster toolkit , with options like 64MP Super Resolution (rear cam) and Selfie Panorama (front cam) leading the way.

Working alongside its forenamed CPU under the hood is a satisfactory (as of 2018 Q1) 4GB LPDDR3 RAM , while a 64GB maximum internal memory (A 32GB-only version is also offered) extendable by up to 256GB is in charge of multimedia storage. It also comes with both fingerprint and facial recognition , with a metal chassis and a Corning Gorilla Glass display cover housing all its specs.

To rehash, as far as technical pros and cons are concerned, the Zenfone Max Plus (M1) is a high-stamina, photography-driven phablet that could have done better in terms of processor and screen sharpness.